Coffin



(No Model.)

. J. H. DUNN.

OOFFIN.

No. 408,169. Patented July 30, 1889.

Wll'zesses. Q a 17318210? 7M QM UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES HENRY DUNN, OF DUBOIS, PENNSYLVANIA.

COFFIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,169, dated July 30,1889.

Application filed December 5, 1888- $erial No. 292,750i (N model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES HENRY DUNN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Dubois, in the county of Olearfield and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBurial-Cases, Caskets, or Portable Vaults; and I do-declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and

to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

The invention relates to that class of burialcaskets which consist of ahollow cover and a base-plate, the two being secured together after thecoffin, base-plate, and cover have all been placed in the grave.

I will first describe myinvention in connection with the drawings, andthen point it out in the claim.

Figure l of the drawings is an elevation in perspective, showing thecasket as an entirety; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the base supportingthe coffin and read y to be lowered into the grave; and Fig. 3, avertical cross-section on the dotted line 00 0c of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A represents the casketshell or hollow cover, which hason its top two cavities a, and cross-strips a near each end. Under thestrips 60 pass the cords B B, by which the cover is let down into thegrave.

C is the base-plate, in which I make the groove 0, extending around theedges of the sides and ends, so as to receive cement or its equivalentcomposition. The edge of the cover also enters this groove 0, and thereis thus formed an airtight joint between the cover and base-plate.

D D are crossbars on the plate placed at such a distance apart as willenable them to firmly support the coffin,and provided at each end withan undercut rabbet d. The cordsE pass around the inside of the bars D Dand through the rabbets, so as to pass upon each side of the coffin,which may thus be very conveniently let down into the grave. By thisconstruction I make a burial-case, casket, or portable vault, which isperfectly air-tight, and will permit the body of a person who has diedof some contagious disease to be scaled up at once, handled withimpunity, and transported to any distance without danger of infection orof spreading the dis case. In ordinary cases both coffin and casket maybe handled quickly, easily, and with little labor.

My burial-casket may of course be made of any suitable material; but Iprefer to make it of metal.

Having thus described all that is necessary to a full understanding ofmyinvention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to protect by LettersPatent, is- The described burial-casket, consisting of the hollow coverA, having cord-holes at the top, and the base-plate 0, havingcross-ribs, en d rabbeted at d, the said plate being also provided withthe cement-groove c, as set forth.

1n testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES HENRY DUNN.

Vitnesses:

G. LESHER, B. MCCULLOUGH.

It is hereby certified that the name of the patentee in Letters Patent N0. 408,169, granted July 30, 1889, for an improvement in Coffins, waserroneously Written and printed James Henry Dunn, Whereas said nameshould have been Written and printed Jmnes Henry Drum; and that saidLetters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the samemay conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 27th day of August, A. D. 1889.

[SEAL] GEO CHANDLER,

Acting Secretary of the Interior. Countersigned ROBERT J. FIsHER,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

